Creating a Practice

Creating a Practice

Om Work

One of the most asked questions I receive is “how often should I practice yoga?”.   My answer: as often as you can.  Most students come to yoga for its physical aspect, but don’t realize the alignment, breath work, calmness and focus they practice on the mat actually moves with them off them mat, and intertwines into their everyday life.  It becomes a way of life.

Yoga is a great tool because it’s accessible to everyone.  You can take any pose and modify it to meet your needs on a particular day and time.  You can slow it down and speed it up depending on the time of year and your energy level.  You can practice it at a studio, home, basement, hotel room or even next to a pool.  The only thing you need is to listen to your body.

From racing pulse rates to achy muscles, our body tells us everyday what’s going on inside.  Utilizing yoga to slow the mind, breath and body allows us the opportunity to actually hear the voice within.  We can then begin to nurture and soothe our sore areas and slowly begin to develop healthy habits to prevent the aches from returning.

I encourage everyone to create a home yoga practice.  It gives you the flexibility to practice when the time is right.  But wait?!?  “I don’t know what to do at home,” says one student.  Here’s my step-by-step list to creating a home practice.

Take a yoga class.  Yep, spend the money and go to a class to learn the basics.  Books and videos are helpful, but a live teacher can answer your questions as well as offer modifications that are perfect for your body.

1.  Learn one sequence.  Teachers learn core sequences that have been practiced for thousands of years such as Sun Salutation and Moon Salutation.  Start with moving through this sequence 3-6x every day varying the speed (slower when your energy is lower and faster when you want to create some heat).  **Side note: You can learn Sun Salutation A on March 21 as part of the Rise to Shine yoga fund raiser for Girls Inc.  Several area yoga teachers will help modify and assist you making the 108 salutations accessible to everyone.
2. Sprinkle in a couple of poses.  After a yoga class, jot down how different poses made you feel.  For example, in today’s class, Warrior 1 felt strong and powerful while Downward Facing Dog was a nice release from my commute home.  Pick 3-5 poses to practice after your warm-up sequence depending on what your body is feeling.
3. Focus on your breath.  Take an inventory of your breath at the beginning and end of your practice.  Notice the way it changes as you move through each pose.  Try to maintain a calm, even breath even if that means it takes you 10 breaths to transition from Downward Facing Dog to a lunge.
4. Don’t judge.  Practice compassion and acceptance of where you are today.  Our needs and attitudes change like the wind.  Our bodies also change daily – some days we’ll feel more open in Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) while others even the simplest balance pose will challenge every cell in our body.
5. Don’t skip Savasana.  Our bodies need a moment to rest and restore after any workout.  Savasana is simply meditation lying on our backs.  It allows us to simply be, and gives us the opportunity to hear and notice what we typically ignore all day.
6. Commit to yourself.  A home practice may be 10 minutes in the morning one day and 60 minutes after work another.  Make a promise to at least step on the mat once a day.  No one has ever said she regrets taking a class so you won’t be disappointed with the time you put on the mat. 

As you begin your practice, feel free to visit Limber Llama Yoga for ideas and sequences.  You can also email me with any questions.  I would be more than happy to guide you on your own yoga journey.

What's Your Sign?

What’s Your Sign?

Being Observant

All around us the universe is sending us messages.  Perhaps the slow car in the fast lane is a reminder to take a few deep breaths or the teens laughing on the sidewalk cue us to take life lightly.

But far too often, we are too busy to even notice these signs.  We get up.  We dress and feed our family.  And after we get ourselves together, we remember to feed the dog, and now we’re likely late getting out the door.  So, with all of this chaos going on in the first few hours of our day, how on earth are we supposed to “smell the roses?”

Practicing yoga and meditation teaches us to bring our mind, breath and body in unity.  When all three are working together, we can begin to sift through all the noise and see those signs Mother Nature is practically throwing at us.

Until my own yoga practice became more regular, I never spotted these signs either.  The universe could have been sending me the latest lottery numbers, and I wouldn’t have noticed.

How can you become more observant?  Download a copy of any yoga sequence found on Limber Llama Yoga.  Move through the sequence slowly allowing your breath to be even and slow.  Notice if any poses cause your breath to be shallow and tense. 

Once you have your breath and movement in synch, turn to your mind.  What are you thinking about?  The weather, dinner, tomorrow’s schedule?  Accept that these thoughts will come up, and turn your thoughts to your muscles, bones and breath.  How do your hips feel in Warrior 2?  Describe it to yourself. 

Soon, all three – the body, breath and mind – will synch.  And with practice, it becomes easier to unite these off the mat and in the real world.

Shine On

Limber Llama Yoga teacher, Jennifer Weiss teaching at Girls Inc. of Washington County.

Shine On

Confidence Sparkles

What would my childhood have been like if I had been exposed to yoga at age 10?  This very question is what led me to begin volunteering with pre-teens and teenagers in Hagerstown.

When I pose this question to my adult students, they sigh, and say life would have been so much easier.  “I would have more confidence in my body.”  “I could have taken more time to react to situations.” “I may have been a more authentic me.”  And the list goes on and on.

All the benefits adults enjoy as a regular yoga practice, teens can experience too.  From the ability to act consciously instead of reacting to a situation to redirecting negative thoughts into positive ones, yoga is a toolbox of movement, breath and mind practices.  This toolbox aids in building self-confidence, gaining greater depth of enjoyment of life, and giving courage to be the real you.

It may not seem like all of these benefits are possible, but let’s break it down.  When a student begins practicing yoga poses (asanas), she first has to let go of what’s happening outside her mat in order to do the pose correctly.  Once she gains some confidence in her Downward Facing Dog, she’ll start to connect her breath to each movement.   Then, she stops the movement, but continues to focus on the breath while calming the mind.

The student then begins to practice self-awareness (paying attention) off the mat.  She takes a breath before speaking.  She understands and communicates the feelings she’s experiencing.  She takes more time to make smart decisions.  She gains more confidence in herself as well as her support system.

Who wouldn’t want these benefits?  And who wouldn’t want to give them to their son or daughter?  During the month of March 2014, teens (ages 10-18) can practice for free when accompanied by a paying adult to any Limber Llama Yoga class.